Jamaicans shut out abroad
published: Sunday | July 1, 2007

The U.S. has restricted the inflow of immigrants due to concerns about terrorism.

Lovelette Brooks, Special Projects Editor

Tighter border controls and stricter immigration policies by Britain, the United States of America and Canada have significantly lowered the numbers of Jamaicans obtaining immigrant visas to live and work in these countries.

Recent data from the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) indicate a 34 per cent decline in the mainstream of migration from Jamaica from 1995 and 2006, and a further sharp decline between 2004 and 2006. The dip in last year's figure has been the lowest since the 1961 pre-Independence era, when emigration peaked at just under 40,000 persons.

Last year's depressed figures, said Easton Williams, manager of the Population Unit at the PIOJ preliminary, give a clear picture of current migration trends. "The figures were based on the number of immigrant visas issued by the embassies here in Jamaica. Figures showing visas issued in the host countries have not been added, bu the true picture for 2006 would conform to 2003-20005 data, fewer Jamaicans are being granted immigrant visas to The United States, Britain and Canada," he said.

Domestic policies

More Jamaicans are being "shut out" for a number of reasons, chief of which are domestic policies and labour market-related issues within thehost countries, according to Williams. "The number of applicants may not have declined, and lower migration trends do not reflect negatively on the island. The decline in the number of migrants to the U.S. could be part of its deliberate policy to combat international terrorism. Labour-market factors and demographics are high on Canada's list, and for Britain, actually, there is a net outflow of Jamaicans from that country," he told The Sunday Gleaner.

"This (reverse migration) has been evident from the last 20 years. The first generation of migrants to Britain in the late 1950s has now reached retirement age and are coming back home to settle down and enjoy their pension. They have had their time abroad and are now transferring their benefits here," said Professor Thomas Hope of the Department of Geography, University of the West Indies, who has been researching migration issues.

More Jamaicans opt to migrate to the United States than any other country for a number of reasons; chief among which is economic. Over the years, the island has lost an enormously high percentage of professionals - teachers, doctors and nurses - to foreign labour markets. Some 41.4 per cent of doctors in Jamaica have migrated - the highest emigration rate in the world for that profession.

Data from the 2005 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, U.S Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics, reveal that Jamaica ranks in the top-20 countries sending migrants to the U.S.A. Approximately 1.6 per cent of all migrants to the U.S.A. are Jamaicans, it records.

As part of growing political attention to immigration and security issues, the U.S.A. has, since the 1980s, passed several significant pieces of immigration-related legislation which makes it more difficult for Jamaicans and other nationals to obtain immigrant visas. These include the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), the Immigration Act of 1990, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA), and theUniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (U.S.A.-Patriot Act).

Currently, the U.S. Congress is working on several pieces of legislation designed to legalise portions of the undocumented population. It is unclear what direction and form, pending new legislation,it will take.

Choosing Canada

Canada, too, has tightened its immigration policies. Early Jamaican immigration to Canada was relatively small. A few thousands went to works domestics and railway porters. But in the late 1960s, when immigration rules were reformed, large numbers of Jamaicans began to choose Canada. Most have settled in the Toronto area. The 2001 Census shows that 3.5 per cent of Toronto's population was born in Jamaica, about 88,000 people. However, since the 1980s, there has been a decline in Jamaican migrants to Canada, which reflects a deliberate policy to recruit mainly skilled persons and professionals for its labour market.

International migration of skilled persons has assumed increased importance in recent years, reflecting the impact of globalisation, revival of growth in the world economy, and the explosive growth in information and communication technologies (ICTs). A number of developed countries have liberalised their policies for the admission of highly skilled professionals.

The most far-reaching piece of British legislation with respect to Jamaicans, was passed in March, 2003. This measure required Jamaican nationals to obtain visas prior to entering the United Kingdom. However, this move also rendered the U.K. less attractive for some persons desirous of living and working there. According to the The Home Office in Sheffield: "The measure was necessary as a result of the large number of Jamaicans who violate their conditions of entry upon admission to the U.K., and the considerable number of Jamaicans who come to the U.K. as illegal drug couriers."

It is estimated that prior to the 2003 legislation, some 400,000 Jamaicans visited the U.K. annually.

lovellette.brooks@gleanerjm.com

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